Commissioners schedule evening public hearing on Stewart’s Grant PUD amendments including unit reductions, school-seat reservation and narrower road standards

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County voted June 3 to hold an evening public hearing June 24 on proposed amendments to the Stewart’s Grant planned unit development (PUD) in Great Mills, a project encompassing roughly 400 acres west of George Washington Carver Elementary School.

Deputy County Attorney John Sterling Hauser summarized the package for the commissioners, saying the ordinance would "lock in writing" a reduced unit count, increase open space, make updated findings on school capacity and "direct Land Use and Growth Management to reserve the school seats that would be required to build out" the project. Hauser told the board the PUD’s maximum residential units would be set at 1,084 under the proposal, down from earlier approvals in the 1,100–1,600 range.

The ordinance would also reserve school capacity for the project. Hauser said the project would require 65 high-school seats, 116 middle-school seats and 233 elementary seats; the ordinance would peg the PUD to a binding phasing schedule and direct local staff to reserve the seats so bond underwriters and developers can proceed. The development team has told county staff it expects a roughly 10‑year buildout once construction begins and is seeking reserved seats to support financing; Hauser said the project team expects to begin construction in 2026 or 2027 and to add about 108 dwelling units per year in buildout years.

The proposed PUD amendment would also reduce some local road standards inside the development: the plan would change the Bay Ridge Road cross section from two 24‑foot travel lanes to two 12‑foot lanes with 6‑foot shoulders and shrink the proposed Mattaponi Boulevard lanes from two 20‑foot travel lanes to two 18‑foot lanes. Hauser said the changes were proposed in consultation with the Department of Public Works and Transportation and that the department believes narrower lanes will reduce speeds and improve safety.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about how long the reserved seat allocation would last, whether phasing and unit mix would be binding on successors and how the county’s school-student yield formula is being applied (Hauser noted the county is still using an older student‑yield model). Commissioners voted to set an evening public hearing for June 24; a final decision on the ordinance was scheduled for a later meeting.

What residents should know: the public hearing will include mailed notice to neighbors and a physical posting on the property, and written comment will remain open for seven days after the hearing. Hauser said county staff and the planning commission have already submitted reports and that additional agency comments (including the board of education and sheriff’s office) are included in the package available to commissioners. The hearing will be the opportunity for residents to comment before the commissioners make a final decision at a subsequent meeting.